Cover Reveal: Melissa R Smith’s Touch of Silver + Excerpt

Eeek! The wait is almost over! Touch of Silver is the highly anticipated sequel to Legacy and it will be released very soon. In the meantime Melissa has given us an exclusive excerpt and of course a first look at the beautiful cover!

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Synopsis
It was supposed to be so simple for Devani Daniels. Stay away from Sanguines and the Militia would leave her alone. Knowing the inner workings of the fanatical organization, Devani should have realized that London Weinright, the division’s current leader, wouldn’t give up so easily. Now, not only is she being harassed by her Sanguine-hating co-workers, but she’s alone without her one true love, Roman, the Sanguine she pushed away to keep him safe.

Despite releasing Devani from their connection, Roman has discovered the reasons behind her rejection and is determined to defy the Militia, no matter what it takes. When their paths finally cross, will Devani and Roman be able to deny what they truly feel?

Or will their love inevitably put them in Weinright’s line of fire?Excerpt
With nighttime hours being so busy, most of Friday passed quickly and I didn’t have time to think about why Echo wanted me to change shifts, until my dinner break. Once inside the break room, I tried calling her number, but all I got was voice mail. Surely, she wasn’t going to try to visit me. She knew better than that.

I certainly wasn’t going to invite her, or anyone else to see me at Parker’s Books and Café. Not after being told by my boss, Robert Parker, that every move I made would be closely scrutinized. One little mistake, one more Sanguine in the store, whether I knew them or not, and he would inform London Weinright. It made me afraid to leave work for any reason, even to go somewhere for lunch. That was my routine now – do my job, speak to no one more than necessary and go home alone. A sad, solitary existence.

Emma, a relatively new employee and Bethany Jenner’s rival for Robert’s Protégée of the Year, came into the break room holding an empty fast food bag, “Hey, Devani.” She said, cheerily tossing it in the garbage can. She was pleasant and always greeted me with a smile; no matter how much I saw Jean, my blabber-mouthed co-worker, talking to her about me.

I just finished my microwaved frozen dinner and was cleaning up, “Emma, have you seen Bethany?” I suppose I really didn’t have to ask, I knew The Princess was either in Robert’s office talking his ear off, or in the storeroom, sneaking a chat on her cell phone with one of her boyfriends.

Emma started washing her hands, “She said something about calling her Mom. She’s not feeling good or something.”

I’d heard that before. Bethany’s mother must be the sickliest person on the face of the earth. No, it was just a secret code for, I’m trying to find a date for tonight. “Oh, okay.”

“Did you need her?”

“No, she’s supposed to be helping out in the café, but I can check on her later.” I lazily answered and stood up to throw my trash in the garbage.

I turned to smile at Emma before leaving, but she stopped me, “Oh! On my way in here, Jean told me to give you a message.”

“She said that some people, uh, came in and were looking around. She thought you would really want to know.”

“Some people? Who?” I eyed Emma, which made her turn uncomfortable very fast.

She shrugged her petite shoulders, “Um. Sanguines.”

Immediately, my eyes widened, panic stricken. Oh God no, that was what I was afraid of. Was that why Echo wanted me to work tonight? Was Simeon and Greg out there, asking for me? Granted, I didn’t tell Echo to keep them away. Did I really have to be that specific after all this time?

“Is there a problem?” Emma asked and her expression confirmed my suspicion, Jean had indeed been telling Emma about my past with Sanguines.

Jean. It wasn’t that long ago that she had been so supportive after I’d been attacked outside the store by a glow-crazed customer; she would call me at least once a day to make sure I was okay. On our shifts, she was always the first one to volunteer to walk me to my car. Now, because of someone’s (Bethany, but I couldn’t be sure) big mouth, she had practically turned a one-eighty into a bigoted gossip. They all had. In fact, I hardly recognized some of my co-workers anymore.

“No, not at all, why?” I answered, turning away so she couldn’t see my attempt to remain calm.

“She said to make sure I was out of your way, because you would come running. You seem to like Sanguines.”About Melissa
I’ve been writing for about twelve years now, beginning with fanfiction. I published my first book in 2001, with a revised version in 2004.

My hope is to find a good following of readers who enjoy my work. I try to write stories that feature strong female characters, usually over the age of 25. I also keep my sexual content to a minimum, for those who prefer less erotic and more romantic.

Paranormal is my genre of choice, but I also have written historical romance, which I hope to publish very soon.